I could not think of a better use for “Milkshake” by Kelis. We went from President Donald Trump loving Sydney Sweeney for being a registered Republican and her American Eagle jeans ad to sorority girls copying the Gap x KATSEYE “Better in Denim” dance. I wasn’t expecting a jean ad competition to emulate the political climate either, but here we are.
American Eagle teamed up with actress Sydney Sweeney for a jeans ad campaign titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” in July. Sweeney has grown in popularity since her performances in Euphoria, Anyone But You and her season one appearance in White Lotus. She’s an up-and-coming star, so this collaboration with American Eagle was a great marketing move, but the ad is questionable. American Eagle decided to reference a Brooke Shields Calvin Klein jeans ad from the ’80s. This ad, “Genes,” talks about offspring and genetic code, using wordplay to their advantage. American Eagle attempts the same thing; however, some viewers claim there are racial undertones in the Sweeney ad. Some go as far as to argue that the ad carries the tone of eugenics. Eugenics is the study of how to purposely breed the human population to increase the occurrence of certain genes that are deemed desirable. It’s important to note that Sydney Sweeney is white, blond and has blue eyes: traits of the pseudoscientific Aryan race from Nazi Germany. In drawing back to the Brooke Shields ad and using Sydney Sweeney as their model, American Eagle inadvertently called upon eugenic practices. Although this was not my first impression upon watching the advertisement, any and every interpretation can be taken into consideration if backed by enough evidence; after all, that’s how arguments work (ahem, FOX News).
The Sydney Sweeney ad is very sensual in its presentation and does not offer much otherwise. The most interesting aspect is how far people took it. I watch multiple news outlets at home, and jokes aside, FOX News was talking about it for at least two days. Despite their insistence that the left was taking it too far and lashing out at American Eagle and Sweeney, it was perplexing to watch some of my right-leaning peers on social media post “#ProSydney.” Being #ProSydney isn’t just about the actress; it’s about being on the political right, possibly being a registered Republican and being anti-woke. But here come some milkshakes and some boys to the yard.
Gap’s campaign “Better in Denim” was released on Aug. 19, featuring the global girl group, KATSEYE. It exists in direct opposition to the Sweeney ad, only released a month apart. “Better in Denim” is about movement, flexibility and self-expression with the caption “This is denim as you define it. Your individuality. Your self-expression. Your style. Powerful on your own. Even better together.”
KATSEYE’s popularity grew exponentially after their hit song “Gnarly.” Even better, the dance choreography blew up on TikTok, with many users gathering in groups to perform. Now, the same has happened with the “Better in Denim” choreography. Sorority Alpha Chi Omega from the University of Wisconsin-Madison garnered over 30 million views of their attempt at the dance. Gap promoted the choreography further by posting a “learn the moves” tutorial with the choreographer Robbie Blue. The Gap ad is notably more effective as a jeans ad than the one of American Eagle. The KATSEYE dance demonstrates how you can move as you want in Gap jeans; it’s more appealing. Furthermore, KATSEYE is a group of six girls from all over the world, from South Korea to Switzerland. Sydney Sweeney is just one girl. Say what you want, that these are just ad campaigns and it’s “not that deep,” but one must acknowledge the political connotations. Culture informs politics and how we vote. Through cultural preferences such as supporting the KATSEYE ad over the Sydney Sweeney ad, you can see in which political direction any group leans. By comparing these two ads, one must wonder about the Sydney Sweeney ad's eugenics interpretation. Although many find it to be an outrageous opinion, it is still the interpretation of many and has a factual basis.
The Gap ad suggests the power in a group, in a community, in diversity; we’re better together. The Sydney Sweeney ad is inherently exclusionary and does not welcome the audience but invites them to be “like” the actress. The KATSEYE group features multiple nationalities; anyone and everyone can wear Gap jeans. The background dancers of the campaign are of multiple ethnicities and races. The groups performing the “Better in Denim” dance on platforms like TikTok are also of multiple races, illustrating the ad’s message of diversity in denim.
Denim is American. These ads, whether they try to or not, bring up the question of who and what constitutes an American. And that question? It’s looming over Washington today. So when some arguments in political discourse attempt to say diversity is not beneficial or try to decide who is “American,” I look at the KATSEYE x Gap ad Campaign and nod along with “Milkshake.” This is the version of America that is diverse like its population. And damn right, it’s better than yours.
Sophia Romanov Imber is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at sromanovimber@cornellsun.com.
Sophia Romanov Imber is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is an assistant arts editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. She can be reached at sromanovimber@cornellsun.com.
